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THE CAFE ALEX WAS SITTING in had a good view of the Plaza. He and three others had been watching in a rotation. Today was the third day with still no sign of contact. Intelligence had confirmed that the Ratline was traced to a German priest who was a Nazi sympathizer.
Presently, he is under the protection of the Vatican recognized as an independent state since the Lateran Pacts were made between the Kingdom of Italy, and the Holy See in 1929.
To add to intelligence frustrations was the new Marshall Plan to assist in the recovery of war-torn Europe. Especially Italy, they were a fragile democracy threatened by communism. To prevent it from becoming an Iron curtain state, American poured money into its restructuring and boosting the economy. Upsetting the pious by harming or arresting a priest was not wise at this time.
Thus, it had to be a delicate arrest. In other words, they had to, secretly kidnap the priest. Needless, to say Alex had no time for Nazi lovers and could not care less what happens to them.
The Ratline was unintentionally set up by the Vatican to move war-torn refugees to a safe haven in South American countries. The sympathizer within was taking advantage of the humanitarian efforts to help war criminals escape. Letters of recommendation by a priest from the Vatican were enough to obtain a visa.
Alex was dressed in a stylish Italian brown sports coat with an open collar shirt. He preferred the casual look. The double-breasted styles were cumbersome when reaching for his shoulder holster.
Apparently, the young waitress too admired his taste in clothing and his incredibly good looks.
She was annoyingly hanging around his table. He was worried if he had to move fast she would be a hindrance.
Finally, the owner noticed and shooed her off to wait on his other customers. His timing was perfect. Alex saw a priest and two Cardinals leave the Vatican gate, stopping to chat before going separate ways. Alex stood, tucked his newspaper under his arm and followed the priest down a narrow street.
The waitress gathered the money and the empty cup, as she sadly watched the handsome gentlemen walk away. She sighed. “He looked like such a decent man. What a looker, he must be a movie actor. Oh, what was that name, yes, that's it, Montgomery Clift? Of course, it must be him!”
Alex approached the priest from behind and suddenly put his arm around his small shoulders and startled him by speaking in German like an old friend, before pushing him through an open door. His accomplice then hit the man on the side of the head with a cosh and pulled a sackcloth over the body as he fell into Alex's arms. The two of them carried the sacked priest down the hall to the back alley into a waiting van and quickly drove away.
* * *
"HE WHAT GOT WAY, HOW in the hell did that happen!” Alex shouted over the phone.
He nodded as he listened to the explanation being given by the caller from intelligence. “They took the sack off, I told him to leave it on. The outfit gives a clergy member an advantage, especially here in Rome. How did he get out of the building? He stabbed the kid, damn it he was carrying a knife? Is the boy still alive? He was stabbed only in the shoulder, that's a relief. Why, would we search for a weapon? You told us to grab him and get out fast! Why didn't you check him, all right! We'll find him?”
He listened for a few minutes more and then murmured a goodbye and slammed the phone receiver down, “ass hole!” He mumbled sitting down on the hotel bed.
“Now I have a fugitive running around Rome alerting his underground and changing their operation. All because some religious kid felt sorry for a bastardized priest that missed stabbing him in the heart by inches. Months of work lost to foolishness!” He stood and tightened his shoulder holster and put on his jacket before going out the door. “That ungodly priest better hope someone else finds him before I do!”